CHAPTER 4
"Why weren't you here, tending to the wounded we brought back?"
Rose couldn't make eye contact with General Ming. She stared at her shoes and muttered, "Sorry, ma'am. I…I just thought I'd be more useful on the field."
"Soldier, you were stationed here! If this happens again, you will have to report to the Commander!" Ming stared at Rose as if she wanted to slap her, but the moment passed and she stalked off towards the hospital. "Report here in two hours."
"Yes, ma'am," Rose muttered.
Starr met her in the hall.
"So? What did Ming want?" She asked. The terrified, wide-eyed expression hadn't changed from the battlefield.
"I'm to report to the hospital in two hours." Rose said. "Until then, she's keeping me out of the battle."
The battle was still raging outside, although it had intensified as the Resistance realized that their leader had been captured. Rose had no idea what the humans planned to do to him, but she figured something terrible.
"What do we do until then?" Starr broke Rose out of her terrible thoughts.
"We wait," Rose said reluctantly, rubbing at her bandaged cheek. "there's nothing we can do at the moment."
WITH THE DOCTOR…
"WHAT?" Jason screamed, his face contorted in a look of rage. "Doctor! Look!"
The Doctor whirled around in time to see another Mobian brought down and dragged off towards the humans' base. Two in less than five minuets. One of them had been the leader…although he dared not tell Jason.
"Jason, there's nothing we can do!" The Doctor shouted over the noise of guns and explosions. "We'd blow our cover!"
He fired a few blanks. What else was there he could do? Nothing! If he tried anything…then they'd most likely get killed along with the Mobians…life didn't matter to these people!
"Doctor, there's more of them! Coming from the base!" Jason pointed.
The Doctor looked up just in time to see a huge second wave of the Resistance before a bullet found home in his arm. He dropped his gun and gripped his arm tightly, trying to stem the blood flowing from it.
"Doctor! Are you all right?" Jason dropped down beside him, shielding him any oncoming harm. "Come on! Back to the base!"
Gritting his teeth in pain, the Doctor managed to get up and run towards the base. Blood had nearly completely stained his entire arm bright red. Something told him that this would not end well…
THE RESISTANCE…
"You got your wish. You get to fight." Blaze burst into the hospital, holding a Chaos Emerald. "Sonic's been captured. We need everyone who can fight before we send in Squadron Six."
Shadow sat up straighter, but Silver shrank back into the pillows.
"What? Sonic's been captured?" His eyes got wide. "Oh no! What will we do?"
"We'll fight! Take the Emerald!" Blaze nearly threw the Emerald at him. "And just to warn you, this will hurt. A lot."
"What? Wh-AAAAAH!" Silver screamed as the energy of the gem healed his wounds and restored him to normal. He dropped the Emerald to the ground with a soft plink and doubled up, groaning.
"You're fine now. Come on, get up. Shadow, take the thing and hurry!" Blaze helped Silver get up and unwind the now useless bandages around his middle.
Shadow grabbed the Emerald and gritted his teeth as the power healed his leg. He stood up slowly and then cut the bandages away with a scalpel that was in a nearby drawer.
"Come on, no time to waste!" Blaze shouted, grabbing the Emerald back and shoving the two healed soldiers towards the door. "We mustn't give the humans any reason to think that we're going to fall apart! We fight until the last man!"
"You'd make a good leader, Blaze." Silver said softly.
AT THE HUMAN BASE…
Rose and Starr slowly walked toward the hospital. Starr's eyes were wide with worry at what they would find, but Rose was more worried about giving their cover away. She swore to herself that she would not back out. She would go into that room and face what she had to face. To prove that she was a soldier.
Blood was smeared around the walls and floor the closer they came to the hospital. Starr swallowed hard and tried to look away, but her eyes always found another smear. She ended up looking down at her shoes. Rose stopped and whispered, "No matter what…no matter what...do not give them any reason to doubt you. This is the final test."
Starr could only nod.
"Jayda, what we're going to find in there won't be the least bit pleasant. I'm warning you."
"Rose, I know!" Starr almost yelled. "I've been through things like this before! My parents were killed…In front of me! I was only five! I think I can handle this!"
Rose took a step backwards. "I'm…I'm sorry." She whispered.
"I don't think there's a worse thing in the world than a child watching her parents killed." Starr's eyes were determined and angry now. "I can do this. And I swear, after this is all over, I'll…" She broke off and took a wild swing in the air. "…I'll get them for what they did to this planet and my family."
Rose faced the blank gray door and sighed. "Then let's go."
They entered the hospital. Many of the beds were occupied by injured soldiers that had been dragged off the field and cared for. One of them caught Rose's eye.
"Doctor!"
The Doctor nearly fell out of the narrow cot he was resting in. His arm was heavily bandaged and a few cuts lined his face. His face broke into a small smile once he realized that Rose was unharmed. "What are you doing here?"
"I have to report here, in the back rooms. Where they keep their prisoners." Rose whispered.
"Rose?"
Rose glanced up to see Jason standing nearby, a look of relief on his face. But that quickly changed as he began his story. "Rose, they got Sonic. I just realized this…they also got a few more Mobians…What are they going to do to them?"
"I don't know. That's why I'm going back there." Rose replied.
"Soldiers Starr and Tyler!"
Rose and Starr spun around to see general Ming standing behind them. She nodded at them, saying, "Good. Come on. And you, Stone and …Doctor, is it? You should come too."
The Doctor's look of shock was obvious, but he painfully got out of the cot, cradling his arm. Jason didn't leave his side as they walked to the back of the hospital to the locked metal door. Ming opened it and all five of them entered.
Jason's expression was of pure horror as he saw how many prisoners the base had secured over the course of the battle. Many of them looked back with equal terror or fear. Rose tore her eyes away from them, knowing that there was nothing she could do at the moment. Nothing she could do for a while…
Ming lead them further back into the room until they came to another steel door. With another scan to her dog tag, they entered a long hallway. The general lead them down the hall until they came to the last door on the end. She turned and faced them.
"As you are probably aware, we have successfully captured the Resistances' leader. He wasn't too badly wounded, but any type of physical torture would definitely break him. Luckily, we have a supply of his soldiers we can use instead." Ming's eyes shone with an evil glint that her smile completed. "He will watch as one of his soldiers is tortured to death, unless he tells us how we can de-activate the shield. And if his soldier dies…it will continue. Until all of our prisoners have died."
Jason was deathly pale, like he had seen a ghost. The Doctor wasn't much better, and he had to lean against the wall for support. Starr had both hands covering her mouth, like she was afraid if they moved them she would scream. Rose only then noticed that her mouth was hanging open in absolute fright.
"B….but…" Jason stammered. "Why…why do you want us to see this?"
"So you know that they don't go unpunished." Ming opened the door.
The room they entered into was small; roughly the size of a garage. There were a few people gathered at the back of the room, guarding a chair that held the leader of the Resistance.
Sonic was tied to the chair, his left leg heavily bandaged. He gave Rose a glance, but nothing in his eyes told her that he recognized her. He then turned his gaze to the middle of the room.
There was a long wooden table. On the table, secured by leather straps and blindfolded, was another Mobian, although he didn't look very conscious at the moment. A few wires connected him to a computer in the back of the room, where another doctor was standing and reading the readouts. Ming took something a guard gave her and approached the table.
"Your resistance has fallen," She said clearly.
The Mobian didn't give her any response.
"What's your name?" Ming demanded harshly.
He tilted his head towards her voice, but didn't react any more than that. Ming raised something that looked a bit like a pistol and shoved it into his side.
His scream took Rose by surprise. She saw Starr jump, and made eye contact with her and sent a pleading message that said, 'Remember…not a doubt!'
"What's your name?" Ming shouted.
"His name's Scourge." Sonic spoke up.
Ming turned to him. "Unless you're going to tell us about the shield, don't speak." She hissed dangerously.
Ming then turned towards the Doctor. "I'm guessing you've never seen anything like this before." She held the pistol-like device up. "This was outlawed in the States for reasons you will find out shortly." The device itself was smooth metal, except for the handle and trigger, which were coated in rubber.
"Now," Ming turned back to the table. "do you know about the shield?"
Scourge didn't say anything. Ming waited a few seconds before she jabbed the pistol into his side again and squeezed the trigger. Scourge thrashed desperately, trying to break free from the table. Ming didn't let up and pushed the gun further into his side. Scourge's screams began to get weaker and he couldn't seem to take a breath…
"Stop!"
Everyone was slightly taken by surprise by the tone in Jason's voice. Ming backed off from Scourge. Jason swallowed hard, and then continued on. "Stop! R…Rose, and the Doctor…they're double agents!"
"Oh, are they?" Ming demanded in a terrible voice. "I knew you'd give in sooner or later. We had our suspicions after the kittens were found missing. I knew that making you come here would get the truth out. Barricade the door."
One of the guards stood in front of the door, blocking the way out.
Jason dropped his eyes to the ground, muttering, "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"
"Sorry won't do anything!" The Doctor shouted.
Starr caught Rose's eye. Rose noticed she looked surprised; Jason hadn't sold her out for some reason…
"Lock them up. Put them with the Mobians. I don't care." Ming tossed the gun back at one of the guards, who caught it and pocketed it. Another guard came and grabbed the Doctor and Rose's arms and lead them roughly out through another door.
Starr was left standing next to Jason, who looked dreadfully guilty. She caught Sonic's eye, and his expression seemed to be saying, we would have died anyway. Now you've doomed two of your friends…and possibly the entire planet. All hope is lost.
WITH THE RESISTANCE…
The humans thought they had the upper hand. They possibly did, but that didn't stop the Resistance from giving in. They would fight until the last man if they had to.
Silver and Shadow were out in the middle of the battle. All around them, left and right, Mobians and Humans alike were falling. Twice they would have been blown to bits had Blaze not been there.
"Spread the word…We need to bring the battle to the base." Blaze said as she felled another human. "The humans will have this battle brought to them. We don't hide any more."
Shadow nodded. "For Sonic,"
"For Sonic." Silver muttered, watching as he ran off though the battle.
"Silver, you need to spread the word too!" Blaze said. "Go! Don't just stand there!"
"Blaze, something really bad just happened," He whispered. "Something really, really bad…"
"What do you mean?"
Before he could answer, a grenade exploded nearby, showering them with bits of dirt and shrapnel. Silver fired a few rounds at oncoming soldiers while responding, "I don't know!"
Blaze grabbed the knife at her belt and said, "Well, find out!" She then ran off into the dust and smoke.
AT THE HUMANS' BASE…
Rose and the Doctor were thrown in a small prison cell in the back of the building. The cell wasn't made for more than one person, but why would the base care? Rose sat down heavily on the single hard cot in the side of the cell, tears streaming down her face. She thought she could still hear Scourge screaming…
"That didn't go according to plan," The Doctor muttered, cradling his bandaged arm. "not at all."
Rose buried her face in her arms. Now quite possibly they changed the fate of the worlds. Before, she was pretty sure that the Mobians were going to win the war…now she and the Doctor had come and sided with the wrong side, changing the future. All hope was lost.
"Jason, out of all people…the cowardly bastard!" She choked out. "Betray us! How could he? And why didn't he bring Jayda to justice along with us?"
"Would you have sat there, considering the conditions, for much longer like that?" The Doctor mumbled. "I know I would have found a way to force them to stop. Jason was only acting in the way he thought would save him."
"And look what happened!" Rose screamed. "Now he's sentenced a soldier to death! Possibly thousands more!"
The Doctor could only nod. "We need to get out of here."
"We can't! They took your Screwdriver, didn't they? We're weaponless!"
"When they come for us, we could always fight our way out."
"And get blown to bits!"
The Doctor leaned against the wall and stared out from the bars on the door. "Well…I'm sorry, Rose. But for the first time in possibly five thousand years, I'm out of ideas."
MEANWHILE…
"Jayda Starr was helping me find the rebels and bring them to your attention as soon as possible." Jason was currently explaining to Generals Ming, Legacy, and Kaio-Dism. "We wanted a moment so it would look like I cracked under pressure, and this one was better than I could have imagined."
"A clever plan." Legacy said admiringly. "You think like a true soldier."
"Thank you, sir." Jason mumbled, barely managing to keep eye contact with the man.
"It wasn't easy." Starr added. "They were very careful about covering their tracks and making sure they didn't leave any traces that they were working for the enemy. I tried to get as much information as I could from Rose…but even she didn't truly trust me enough for that."
"Either way, very well done, soldiers." Ming said. "Before we launch our final assault on their Resistance, I believe the leader of the army would like a few words with you."
"Ma'am?" Jason blinked.
"The Commander would greatly like to hear your story of bravery."
Jason exchanged glances with Starr.
"Meet us by the mess hall at thirteen hundred hours tonight. It's time you met your leader." Kaio-Dism added. "Until then…go. You need rest."
Jason and Starr left the room and walked silently until they came to an abandoned recreational room. Starr slammed her fists down on the nearest table and shouted, "What the hell, Jason? What the hell? Why did you sell them out?"
"It…it just happened!" Jason protested. "I…I…"
"You should have known they weren't going to stop! They're invading this planet! Why would they care about its inhabitants? One less is one less!"
Jason stared at his boots, which were stained with dirt and blood.
"Now they got probably the two most powerful people in the entire human army locked up!" Starr lifted Jason's chin so he was staring into her eyes. Her eyes…they were full of tears now.
"We've got to save them." She managed to choke out. "They're the only two that can change the fate of this planet."
"They're not the only ones." Jason said, surprised by the amount of coldness in his voice. "We're going to meet the Commander."
WITH THE RESISTANCE…
The whole of Squadron Six was still on reserve, but it was looking as though they would be needed soon. Tails had been unanimously nominated leader of the squad, but he had no idea how to lead a unit. Unfortunately, neither did the rest of the squad.
They entire group eventually retreated back into the base where the three kittens that had been rescued from the base were. Tails had helped name one.
"That one…with the darkest fur. He looks like he could be a…um…Dakara." He said.
"That's a good name." Blaze smiled and stroked Dakara's soft fur, earning her a soft purr. "His sister there, the smallest. What should her name be?"
"Definitely looks like a Rosa to me. After her rescuer." One of the doctors back with them said. "One of them should carry a remembrance to the heroes."
"What about the last one?" Blaze stroked the last kitten's fur, making his ears twitch. He meowed softly and pawed his siblings.
Tails was brought back to the present by a loud bang. He turned to see that one of the kids in the group had dropped a gun, but hastily stooped down to pick it up.
They hadn't had time to name the final kitten. No one could find a suitable name, and even if they had, they wouldn't have had time anyway. For that was when the battle began. Blaze had rushed out of the hospital without even suggesting anything.
One of the base's doctors walked into the room.
"I have bad news," He said softly. Everyone went dead silent so they could hear. "Sonic's been captured. Rose and the Doctor also. Someone sold them out. We need you out there and fighting…now."
Tails stood up and nodded. "Come on."
They exited the base, many of the kids shaking with fear. The battlefield was bloodstained and lined with the dead. Tails knew he would never forget that sight as long as he lived.
He raised his gun into the air. "CHARGE!"
The youngest squadron in Mobius' history charged forward, their fear mingled with hate.
WITH JASON AND STARR…
Starr's eyes widened as Jason finished his plan. She dropped down into a nearby chair and massaged her temples. "You're…You're…" She couldn't find the words to describe what she just heard.
Stupid? No, dumber than stupid.
Crazy? Yes, but that didn't tie in her other emotions about the whole thing.
Unpredictable? No, not quite…
"…you're a dim-witted, brainless psychopath." She finally settled on that.
"I may be that, but does the Resistance really stand a chance?" Jason whispered. "They can't last another three days, at the very most. They probably won't last until the middle of tomorrow."
Starr sighed. "If it's our only hope…"
"It probably most likely is."
Her deep brown eyes found Jason's pale blue ones. He was crazy, but a plan was better than nothing. And he was determined. That probably meant that he wouldn't live to see Mobius' independence.
"You're an ass, but you sure come up with one hell of a plan." Starr threw herself into his arms.
MEANWHILE…
"I thought you two might be lonely. So I brought you some friends."
Rose's eyes grew wide as Ming opened the door to the cell and threw in Sonic, who hit the wall and slowly sat up. Burns covered his arms and he was shaking terribly. Ming smiled a horrifying smile and then threw Scourge in as well.
"What did you do to them?" Rose choked out.
Ming smiled again and left, locking the door behind her. Rose desperately tried to wake Scourge.
Burns similar to the ones on Sonic's arms covered his sides and chest. From the gun. Rose realized. He's lucky to be alive.
"Why did they spare you?" The Doctor asked, sounding surprised.
"I…I don't know. Why they spared him, at any rate. But they want me to see the fall of the Resistance." Sonic stared at the corner. "They thought that seeing the planet fall would be worse than any death. And I think they're right."
"We won't let that happen." Rose hissed. "We're going to break out of here…and save this place."
"You can imagine all you want, Rose. We're not getting out of here." The Doctor said casually. "We need help from the outside."
"Well, we don't have that, do we?"
Silence.
"Maybe a solution will come in time." Sonic muttered. "Maybe someone will come."
"I doubt that." The Doctor whispered.
WITH JASON AND STARR…
Jason and Starr were lead down numerous halls, and even out of the base. They got into a truck along with General Legacy and drove for about twenty minuets until they came across a small building in the distance. Legacy stopped the truck as they approached the building and motioned for them to follow.
They did, and they entered the heart of the human invasion.
Everything about this base was different from the one they had stayed in before. For one thing, it was safer. No constant threat of bombs or attacks, although the humans never really feared any of that.
And for another, there were only a few thousand people here. Higher ranking generals that planned the army's every move, and high ranked soldiers that would only be called into battle if things took a turn for the worse.
Legacy entered a door. Starr and Jason followed, nervous. It was now or never.
They entered a conference room. A huge map of the invaded planet hung behind the large table, where many generals were gathered. At the head of the table was a man with many medals on his uniform. He stared coldly at the newcomers without saying a word.
"Commander, these are the two that possibly saved the army." Legacy said. "They found two spies in our militia."
"Is that so?" The Commander asked calmly.
"Yes, sir." Jason and Starr said at the same time.
"Well then. A fine job, soldiers." The Commander said. "The army needs more like you. Not this criminal scum that supplies half our troops. They're expendable, unlike the diamonds in the rough." He fixed them with a long stare.
"Yes, sir." What else were they to say? 'Um, excuse me, sir, but how could you just kill thousands of people like that?'
"Sir, permission to speak?" Jason asked worriedly.
"Permission granted." The Commander responded.
"What do we plan to do to the prisoners we captured?"
"Well, that's up to you. You could drown them, poison them, torture them, anything that seems fit for your tastes. Although most of the executions will take place here. Starting with their leader, unless he's already dead."
Jason swallowed hard. "Sir,"
"Now for your bravery, I wish to give you something." The Commander stood up and opened a small box nearby. He pulled out two small medals on blue ribbons. "These represent your bravery and dedication to us. Wear them proudly."
Starr and Jason stepped forward to claim their reward, although Jason stopped halfway there. "Sir, one more thing?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"Long live Mobius."
Jason slipped the small pistol out of his sleeve and shot three times.